For Janice (pronounced Ja—neese, which is German pronunciation) Theresa Guenther, growing up in Crofton, Nebraska, was a life full of family, hard work, fun, and studies. Janice was born the middle of what would be 11 children, four girls and seven boys.
As she tells the story, Janice was considered the “eighth boy” when work on the farm demanded more help. She loved farm work. When Janice told her father she wanted to enter the convent, he said, “They don’t take or keep tomboys in the convent.” Her Dad’s comment had such an impression on her so much that later, when she became homesick and wanted to go home, she didn’t want anyone to know. She wanted to prove that “tomboys” stay in the convent!
Janice felt drawn to religious life the first time she saw a sister. Sister Dora was her first- and second-grade teacher, and Janice felt that her “warm blue eyes said, ‘Come, follow me’.” And follow to Milwaukee she did! Janice attended St. Joseph Convent High School in Milwaukee. When Mother Corona asked her what she wanted to do with her life as a sister, she immediately said, “I want to be a nurse.”
When Janice was received in 1955, she received the name “Louette.” She requested this name following an agreement with her Uncle Lou, her godfather, who had a drinking problem. Her Uncle Lou agreed that if she received the name Lou, he would stop drinking. She received the name Louette, and her Uncle Lou stopped drinking immediately. From that time on, Janice Theresa Guenther was known as Sister Louette.
Sister Louette worked in the business office at Sacred Heart Sanitarium as a second-year novice. Her time there, originally intended to be one semester, turned into ten years! She was recognized for her outstanding mathematical skills. Earning a college degree was delayed, yet working at Sacred Heart Sanitarium in the business office gave her rich experience. They were wonderful years for Sister Louette.
In 1967, she went into a modified habit and began a degree in Business and Accounting and Personnel Management at Marquette University. An adventure ensued! The first day, she took the bus from the Motherhouse yet soon realized she did not know how to transfer on the bus line, so she walked from the bus stop on 27th Street and National Avenue to Marquette University.
Sister Louette’s graduation was scheduled for the spring of 1970, but the ceremony was called off the night before her graduation due to unrest on the campus prompted by protests about the Vietnam War. Diplomas were delivered by mail!
Following graduation, she was assigned to do accounting at the Motherhouse. Sister Louette was known for her great accuracy and gifts working with numbers. She stayed in that position for two decades.
In 1990, a new opportunity opened for her and she began accounting work with the Dominican sisters in Racine, Wisconsin. She worked with their community in accounting until 2013. In total, Sister Louette worked in the accounting field for 53 years!
After her time working with the Racine Dominicans, she began ministering at Sacred Heart in the laundry. She loved her work at Sacred Heart, being with the sisters. She left Sacred Heart in 2020 during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.
When asked how she felt about working and ministering in the field of business and accounting after she had expressed to Mother Corona her interest in being a nurse, she said, “I was good in math and I loved working in accounting. I treasure my time working within the community.”
During COVID time, Sister Louette volunteered at the Basilica of Saint Josaphat Food Pantry; she continues volunteering there one day a week. After the pandemic, Sister Louette volunteered at St. Mary School in Hales Corners, assisting with the K-4 program and the after-school program. She was there two years. She now assists with the K-5 and the after-school program at St. Thomas Aquinas Academy.
Bringing the fullness of her life in community together, Sister Louette said, “The biggest treasure in my life was working within community!”
Thank you, Sister Louette, for sharing your life with us as a School Sister of St. Francis. Congratulations on your 70th Jubilee!